Questions remain regarding fugitives

November 22, 2012

Law enforcement officials are yet unsure why two men who escaped from a Georgia jail made their way to Fort Dodge.

Matthew S. Findley, 24, and Jeffery R. Webb, 26, were wanted for escape from the Emanuel County Jail in Swainsboro on Nov. 11. Both are from the Swainsboro area.

Fort Dodge Police Chief Tim Carmody said there is as yet no confirmed explanation of why they chose to travel to Fort Dodge.

Georgia authorities notified police that the two may be in Fort Dodge. They were located at a residence at 666 Riverside St. N.W. Tuesday afternoon and taken into custody.

Findley is charged with murder in Georgia, and Webb faces a charge of aggravated assault.

The men were among six prisoners who escaped after a plumbing worker at the jail left a door unlocked. The other four inmates were caught within a few days, authorities said.

The men escaped through the unlocked door into a plumbing mechanical area in the jail, Emanuel County Sheriff Tyson Stephens said.

Once the men got into the mechanical area, they were able to reach the roof and then climb down to freedom, the sheriff said.

On Tuesday, federal prosecutors filed charges of conspiracy to harbor a fugitive against four Georgia residents.

Ashley N. Lewis, Joshua R. Saturday, Charles Pretlow and Ida Clark are accused of helping one of the six inmates in various ways after the escape, according to a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Savannah, Ga. That inmate, Cecil D. Nelson, was recaptured before the final two inmates were taken into custody in Iowa.

The day of the escape, Nelson called Saturday and sought his help, the complaint states. Saturday then used his car to pick up Nelson - who was wearing only boxer shorts and prison-issued sandals - and provided him with clothing, prosecutors said. Nelson eventually surrendered to authorities in Georgia.

Court records did not list attorneys for the four Georgia residents facing charges.